Tampa Taxi Shots

John Morgan Lawyer Pulls No Punches On Political Correctness

John Morgan or Morgan and Morgan is known for not pulling punches. He tells it like it is. I can see by his new billboard advertisement that he is not politically correct. We have a holiday coming up called Christmas. It has always been Christmas. People today are afraid to call it that. They refer to it as the 'holidays.' As if someone will be offended. 

Publix supermarkets will never use the word Christmas. They avoid it and only say holidays.' They say they 'will be closed on December 25th' instead of saying Christmas. This is a cowardly position for a company to take. John Morgan is not a coward.

His billboards say CHRISTMAS! That is, after all, what they holiday is about.  It is also about family and notice he uses his dogs Emma and Ali...how cute.

Tampa Police Trying To shut down Epoch Newspaper

I saw this scene at Kennedy and Westshore. It seems this Tampa cop does not like people selling newspapers. Tampa Florida has yet to be informed that Newspapers are protected by the constitution. You would have thought this was on the streets of Havana with Castro's thugs (Castor's thugs) shutting down freedom of expression and the press. I thought this cop was going to use his taser on these homeless guys. He should have used his pepper spray, right? Maybe he should just go out and right a speeding ticket.

After all, cops in Tampa are only hired to raise revenue for the city. Their time would be better served by just holding a telethon.

How embarrising for a city that is going to host a major political convention next year that they don't even know what peoples rights are. 

Liberty and freedom are important to most people. It is too bad that the Tampa police have never heard of  the Bill of Rights. I see them violating peoples rights all the time. This is nothing new. 

Bob Buckhorn and Chief Castor are not our dictators. I wish they would start behaving and representing the people of Tampa. 

Since  the City of Tampa has outlawed panhandling a newspaper was stated that will allow homeless folks to collect one dollar on every copy of Epoch they sell. It is legal and protected by the Constitution.

This is a drop point by the Army Navy store downtown where they can come and pick up their newspapers. This is how all newspapers are distributed. 

The sellers work hard. They have to ride a bike, or take a bus to the part of town where they work. And they work all day. It is not easy work. If a person was willing to do this, I am sure they would go to a real job if they had one to go to. That is the problem in this economy - There are no jobs.

I hope the publisher of Epoch will not take this sitting down. He needs to get his lawyer involved. This harrasment by the cops should not be tolerated.

A Drunk and a Bad Tampa Cop

The alley where it happened

I got what we call a 'TPD' call this morning around 4:45 am. called in by operator 49. I hate these calls; they are mostly trouble. What a TPD call is when the police decide they are not going to arrest someone and they turn their problem over to the taxi driver. Things can go downhill quick. Often, the fare has no money. That is why you must get the money up front with the cop watching.  It is not unusual for them to go to an ATM, so make sure to go to the nearest one. 

The guy this morning was driving an SUV and had been pulled over behind the AT&T store at Dale Mabry and Henderson. The guy was very drunk but for some reason the cop was not going to arrest him. That really pissed me off. I have  often received tickets because my tire was two inches in the wrong direction or I was going ten MPH over the speed limit as I tried to keep a drunk from throwing up in the back seat. These cops HAD NO PROBLEM in giving me a ticket. They cost me money, time and inconvenienced me. I resent what they have done to me. 

I believe this guy was somebody of power and the blond haired, muscular cop was cutting him a break. That is just wrong. I have no real idea, however, how they decide to give anyone a break. 

I took the guy to the bank and he got forty bucks (which he gave me as a tip). I then, took him back to his car, as he requested. The cop was gone. He said he was going to call his girlfriend to come and get him. I doubt that. I left him there. 

I should not, and will not do work for the Tampa Police Department. If this guy subsequently killed someone, it would be the blond cops ass not mine.

Could the JFK Assassination have been in Tampa?

Tampa has played an important role in the JFK assassination. From the connection of Santo Trafficantie too Jack Ruby in Cuba, Tampa has been important in JFK lore.

Many of us drive by the University of Tampa every day and may never of seen this stature of the late President Kennedy. If we have, we may of wondered why there was a monument here in Tampa.

On November 18, 1963 only 5 days before his assassination JFK made a visit to Tampa! His limousine was unloaded off air force one at Mac-dill Air force Base and his motorcade traveled Thur Tampa.

The route proceeded up Dale Mabry, East on GRAND CENTRAL (Kennedy blvd was once called Grand Central. It was changed after his murder to honor the slain President) Into downtown, north on Franklin past the old Mass Brothers and Kress building, left on Tyler over the Cass Street bridge and ended up at the Armory on Armenia where he gave a speech.

Tony Zappone was a 16 year old high School student who took a series of award winning photos for his school project. He was chosen by the Tampa Tribune, given a press pass, and had access to the president.

The image on the right is haunting to me. Zappone's image is very smiler to the one taken in Dallas at the moment the shots rang out. Who knows, maybe in some alternative universe the assassination happened in Tampa!

As you can see presidents no longer travel in open air convertibles with cheering crowds on the sidewalks. To bad it has to be that way.

The image on the left is Franklin Street today taken from the very spot Zappone was standing. Some of the buildings are still there.

At UT there are several commemorative plaques that surround the statue of JFK and they have quotes from the late president. One of them I believe is relevant to us in light of recent events. It comes from his inaugural address:

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

I could not add a thing to that.

Will Gas Prices Go Lower

Citrus Park 7-11 on Sunday morning at sunrise

Many people don't know that taxi drivers have to buy their own gas. When prices are high, that cuts into our income. Six months ago it was about $3.80 a gallon. I hear that it may skyrocket because oil is traded in dollars because it is the worlds default currency. If that changes, or the dollar devalues, cab drivers are screwed. 

The price of gas can really suck when you roll five miles for a fare and it goes three blocks. You burned more in gas then collected on the fare. That is part of the cab business they say. Just stay out of poor areas and this less lickely to happen (poor people often don't tip). 

Can Tampa Bay Beat Green Bay? Maybe

Superman?

Is Green Bay vulnerable? Yes. Let me explain.

Vince Lombardi once said that Defense wins championships and offense only sells tickets. In football, truer words were never spoken. That is the Packers weakness. They don't have a Super Bowl defense. That is were they can be controlled .

Green Bay has already giving up 183 points in nine games (Contrast the Bucs who gave up only 193 points during the entire season the year they won the Super Bowl). In addition, Green Bay has surrendered 33 points twice in two of their last three games.

Can the Bucs capitalize on this? Can the Bucs score against a weak Green Bay defense?

The problem is the Buccaneers are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league (averaging 14 points). They mostly just go 3 and out. What can they do to win against the Packers?

Ball control would be the key. If they can work sustained drives and keep Arron Rodgers off the field, the better it looks for them. There is, however, no evidence that the Bucs are capable of such a thing.

The best thing they can do is just hope Green Bay is looking ahead to the Detroit game on Thanksgiving day and they just mail this one in. Good luck Bucs!

Tampa Epoch Newspaper Helping The Homeless Get Around Bob Buckhorn's Ban

A street newspaper in Tampa

"This is a noteworthy time for the Tampa community." - proclaims the publisher of Tampa Epoch.

A new Newspaper is now being circulated in Tampa by the homeless community. The newspaper has a unique business arrangement with them. They get to keep the profits off the street sales and the publisher keeps the profits off the advertising. This is a legal (ethical and moral) way for homeless people to make an income, without panhandling.

The publisher of the newspaper is Bill Sharpe. I have not been able to interview him yet, but I would believe that his main concern is first amendment rights. The homeless have been marginalized by local politicians who have made it illegal for people to express their right to free speech. They said that holding a sign informing others of  your plight was a crime. It is free speech; It is protected by the Constitution.

Now, homeless (and formally homeless) can get around what Bob Buckhorn wants, and still find a way to make a living - the only way they can right now with an unemployment rate close to Great Depression levels.

The newspaper I bought today was from a vendor at the 'Occupy Tampa' sight. I felt the dollar was worth it and in twelve pages it had more content then the Tampa Tribune (which will soon be out of business). I support this effort and wish them well. The vendor seemed very happy to make a sell and I was happy for him to provide a service to me.

Street newspapers work well for the homeless and there are over 100 world-wide. They provide employment for the unemployed (something Obama has been promising for years). They provide information to the public that they will not get anywhere else. The main thing is they financially help people. Tampa Epoch is sort of a stimulus plan.

Way to go Bill Sharpe. You are one guy that is trying to make a difference by helping people that others have giving up on.

Keven White Is no Santo Trafficante Jr.

Keven White once referred to himself as part of Tampa's "Black Mafia." Unfortunately, he had a few things backwards. He should 0f modeled himself after the Tampa Don himself - Santo Trafficante Jr.

The Trafficante family ruled the underworld in Tampa Bay for decades. The thing that set him apart from White was that Santo was known in mob parlance as "The Bank." He was the juice. People had to come to him to fulfill their needs. Keven White was dependent on others...bad mistake.

In 1959 the Feds brought Santo Trafficante jr up on federal corruption and illegal gambling charges stemming from a vast bolita operation throughout Florida. They had, what seemed, an airtight case. They had tape recordings of Trafficante offering payoffs to cops. They had a film of him giving money to law enforcement. How could they not get a conviction?

Does this sound familiar? it does, but Keven White did it backwards. He was the one receiving the money. That meant he was needy.

Trafficanate was not convicted in court; Keven White was convicted. White had no juice. Trafficante had the juice.

When you are the "Bank" very few people will testify against you and no jury will convict you (if they know what's good for them). Trafficante was operating from a base of power. This was something Keven White never bothered to develop.

It takes a  lot to be the Teflon Don. Santo was never convicted of anything ever in a court of law. He essentially has no record and would be considered a first offender. 

Remember folks, develop power first and operate from strength. Don't be a pathetic broke ass who is taken down by $5,000. Geeez, how weak.

Mike and Nancy are going to enjoy living in your house after you go to prison. Why? Because they built the juice first. A critical leason in life.

Taxi Medallions Outperform Stocks, Oil and Gold In New York

Taxi medallions are now being traded on the stock exchange

A taxi medallion recently sold for over one million dollars in New York City. There is a reason for that and it underscores how the dynamics are so different in New York that to try and bring that to Tampa would be foolish, for the drivers. There is a year round demand for thousands of cabs in New York. Taxicabs are a vital part of the city's infrastructure. They are not in Tampa. Read this article from Bloomberg and you will see how investors will eventually own every damn medallion there is. The hack will still remain poor.

The surging price of New York’s taxi medallions and their promise of steady cash flows have sparked investor interest in the licenses and bolstered shares of a company that finances their purchase to a four-year high.

Investors are pooling funds to buy the six-inch-wide aluminum disks affixed to the hoods of cabs after two of them sold for a record $1 million each last month, said Andrew Murstein, president of Medallion Financial Corp. (TAXI) Shares of the New York-based firm have climbed 17 percent since the Oct. 19 sale, compared with a 6.4 percent gain for the Russell 2000 Financial Services Index.

“A lot of people have been loading up recently on medallions because they think it’s a safe asset,” Murstein said in an interview last month. The New York-based company owns about 300 medallions and plans to buy “several hundred more” in New York and other cities, he said. “These are little cash cows, constantly taking in fares and spitting out money to the owners.”

A regulated supply has helped taxi permits outgain equities, oil and gold for the past two decades. With New York City unemployment at about 9 percent for over a year, more drivers will fill shifts and pay garages to drive cabs, giving medallion owners a profit of about $2,500 a month, said Simon Greenbaum, a broker at NYC Medallion Brokers Inc. That’s about a 3 percent return for a $1 million medallion.

via www.bloomberg.com

The video states that taxi cabs are a vital part of the New York city infrastructure. Taxis are not that vital in the Tampa Bay area. They seem to be the transportation of last resort. The culture is very different down here. That is why having a medallion system in Tampa is madness. Eventually, the rich people will own them and have even more power over the little hack.

Taxi Business Picking Up for United Cab Of Tampa

The Westshore Marriott Tampa

For the first time in years I have spent a weekend without the wheels of my taxi stopping (I have been able to get my internet back up). There are some reasons for this.

I think the tourism that has been lacking since the economic collapse in 2008 is now coming back. I also believe that the new computer dispatch system we use makes us more efficient then any other cab company in Tampa. I have told people to call 911 and then call us, and we will get there first. That is good.

If things continue like this, I should be able to get my life back in order. I am so far behind. I hope it is not just a good weekend. Hell, like I said, I have not seen one of them in years. The Super Bowl was good in 2009, but you would expect that.

I am also working the hotels more because that is where the people who have money and credit cards are staying. You can work the old ladies at the grocery stores, or work people who may really be going somewhere.